Touch Fluffy Tail
by Wordmage Kazzidae
Summary: An extraspective on the presumed nature of one of my favourite League characters, Ahri, and a few of her new chums. Read this if you like good characterisation and making light of heavy subjects. Oh - and Ashcorp 5ever. EDIT: Chapter 4 is up, after several centuries. What do you mean we haven't had a Third World War yet? Please enjoy. :)
1. One: A Fox in Doubt

_"Are you sure that this is entirely prudent? Admitting her to the League could cause some unrest, both within the League itself and without."_

_"I think you will agree that we are dealing with extraordinary circumstances – practically the purpose for which the League was created. And besides, she did hand herself in: there is no doubt that she is genuinely penitent."_

_He sighed heavily and glanced at some paperwork on his desk. "To date, she has murdered, by her own admission, one hundred and thirty-two men and... one woman. The grieving families, not to mention the authorities – mostly the Ionians – may accuse us of sweeping those lives under the carpet – legitimately so, I believe."_

_"They're the ones to whom she handed herself in – and the ones who asked us to take her off their hands. They saw that she herself was not aware of the full extent of what she was doing and that she wished to change for the better."_

_"So, what, the Ionians want us to rehabilitate her?"_

_"They'd probably say something about allowing her to discover the full extent of her burgeoning inner humanity, but, in a word, yes."_

_He sat back in his high-backed chair and took a few deep breaths._

_"...And besides," she added, "there's no telling what she might do if we bar her."_

_He nodded wearily. "I am aware of that. I just loathe the growing feeling that the Institute of War and the League of Legends exist for the sole purpose of rehabilitating or otherwise restricting the power of mass-murderers. And not only do we house them in quantity, we also stock them in a wide range of flavours: homocidal assassins, genocidal war criminals, omnicidal monsters from beyond the veil of time and space..."_

_She smiled wryly. "And this latest troubles you more than them?"_

_"Well... yes." He shifted uneasily. "None of the others made me feel like getting into bed with them."_

_Her smile turned into a grin. "Even I must admit, her ass is to die for."_

_"Don't even joke about that."_

_"Sorry."_

* * *

Ahri stared at a point on the ceiling, absentmindedly draining a tall glass of a wonderfully frothy strawberry milkshake through a straw. Her gaze was unfocused, and Nidalee could tell that she was deep in thought from the way her ears (that is to say, the ones up top) twitched periodically, her tails gently swaying from side to side.

"Something on your mind?" asked Nidalee, spearing another lump of meat. (She didn't do salads.)

"Mmm... have you ever been with anyone... romantically?" asked Ahri, her gaze descending from the heavens to rest on her feline friend.

Nidalee paused and blinked at this question a few times, much as her mother had the first time she'd come across a mewling human infant in the depths of the Kumungu Jungle: she didn't know what to make of it.

"You mean... been in a relationship with someone?" Nidalee asked by way of clarification, casting the word 'relationship' out there like a novice fisherman on the sea of touchy-feely conversation.

"Yes. It seems to be the way humans approach sexual attraction," said Ahri thoughtfully, playing idly with her straw.

Nidalee laid aside her fork for a moment: this conversation obviously required all of her attention. The shared animalistic polymorphic nature which allowed Ahri and Nidalee to get along so well (and which had resulted in the cat/dogfight to end all fights the first time they'd met, to the point where the Summoners had had to intervene and separate them) was the exact same reason why Nidalee felt she was entirely the wrong person to ask about this kind of stuff, but she was loath to leave her friend without an answer of any kind.

"I've tried it a few times, but I still don't understand what the point is... or maybe I'm just choosing the wrong men. Most of the humans around here are too timid to be worth my time, but that Udyr looks as though he may be exciting," Nidalee added, smiling to herself. "I don't yet know what it would be like to twist tails with a tiger..."

Ahri could see that Nidalee didn't have any conclusive answers (and was likely engrossed in the depths of some fantasy involving Udyr, if the look on her face was any kind of evidence), and so went back to pondering the issue on her own. She returned to her straw, but was dismayed to find that sucking produced only the uniquely irritating sound of the dregs of a drink evading extradition at the bottom of the glass, and so pushed it away in dissatisfaction. There had to be someone else here she could ask; someone who would be more knowledgeable of human affairs... perhaps someone more spiritually inclined?

"I'll see you later Nidalee," said Ahri, rising from her seat.

"What?" Nidalee shook her head. "Oh! All right, see you later." Returning to her daydreaming, she grinned in a decidedly predatory fashion as she chewed on a hunk, when a shadow fell over her.

"Is this seat taken?" The one asking was wearing a bear skin, and he wasn't Tibbers or Volibear.

"Not even a little," said Nidalee, camouflaging her delight. This day had just got interesting.

* * *

After a bit of asking around, Ahri eventually tracked down the people she was looking for in the gardens – specifically, in the Ionian garden. She found the three of them meditating inside a pagoda-roofed gazebo in the centre of the garden, the only sound being the soft rustle of the wind through the flowering cherry blossom trees and the rushing water of the nearby stream. Ahri found a bench nearby on which to wait and absorb the atmosphere, which had a profoundly calming effect on her.

After less than a minute of this, she heard a voice from the gazebo. "Shall we conclude there for today, my ladies? I think someone awaits us." Ahri almost jumped out of her silky smooth skin – not only because she'd been content to wait until they were finished and therefore hadn't been expecting anyone to speak, but also because the one who had spoken was none other than the Blind Monk himself. The implications were disturbing to consider.

"Hello, Ahri," said Karma smoothly and with a pleasant smile, laying out another cushion and scooching around with Soraka to make space. "We were brewing tea, if you'd care to have some."

"I'm fine, thank you," said Ahri, ascending the few steps to the gazebo, feeling a bit discomfited by such unconditional civility. "Uhm... I was told Master Yi and Irelia might be here as well?"

"Alas, they do not join us for our regular meditations as often as we'd hoped," said Soraka while Karma went through the elaborate process of the tea ceremony. (Ahri watched Karma's movements curiously, feeling as though she was watching some exotic form of theatre.) "They tend to be more focused on honing their blades than their minds – not to mention that Yi now has his young apprentice to teach. I've heard he's quite a handful." Soraka and Lee Sin smiled knowingly at this, whereas Karma's face remained strictly impassive. "Also, Udyr seems to be strangely absent – he usually makes a point of joining us..."

Ahri took her cushion, sitting with her knees held close to her and her tails curled up around her. She wasn't yet familiar with her fellow Ionians in the League, having joined comparatively recently, and so felt just a little bit out of her depth. The fact that Soraka was apparently part animal (although unlike any animal Ahri had ever seen) did little to help.

"So," Lee Sin began. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" He 'looked' at Ahri as he spoke – Ahri wasn't sure whether to look back at him.

"...I don't know how well you know me," said Ahri slowly. "Do you know why I joined the League?"

"We are aware, yes," said Soraka lightly.

"In fact, we were hoping you'd approach us sooner," said Karma distractedly, her attention focused on the process of pouring out a little earthenware teapot, her long, draping sleeves folded over.

"Really?" asked Ahri, her ears twitching in curiosity.

"Indeed," Soraka answered. "We'd heard that you were having trouble coming to terms with your new nature. If there is anything with which we can help you, it is that."

This heartened Ahri, but she still had her doubts. "Tell me: is it... natural... for humans to feel guilt?"

"But of course," said Lee Sin. "The mere fact that you are capable of feeling guilt is proof of your humanity. May I use us as examples, Lady Soraka?" Soraka nodded. "We ourselves have committed crimes for which we seek to atone. I was – and still am – responsible for the deaths of one small boy and his entire village. For my crime, I set myself alight in the demonstration which ultimately cost me my eyes. Soraka, whose purity of spirit would have ensured her a place among the stars, was barred from this destiny when the evils of war inflamed her hatred, causing her to change a man into the monster he'd always been. She seeks to redeem herself to this very day."

Ahri listened to all of this in silence, and remained so after Lee Sin had finished. Karma handed out the cups of tea to her fellow meditators, who received them gratefully. There were the subtle sounds of three people enjoying tea and one person being deep in thought.

"...But I don't see how I can make up for what I've done," said Ahri eventually. "All those people whose essences I've stolen... I can't return them. And a part of me doesn't want to, even if I could." Ahri looked up at her fellows earnestly. "I want to be human, I know it's what I'm meant to be, but I know I can't be human and a murderer at the same time. It... doesn't feel right," said Ahri, frowning.

"You were originally a fox, yes?" asked Karma.

"Yes, I was – and back then, I would've thought nothing about killing one of my kind. I mean, I wouldn't have done it without reason, but it wouldn't have made me feel guilty. But you humans... why do you have to make everything so complex?" Ahri huffed, hunching her shoulders and pouting.

"It does not do to become fixated on your past mistakes," said Soraka smoothly, leaning forward to try and gain Ahri's eye contact. "You are going through a lot of changes that you find difficult to understand, but change you must, if you really feel that becoming fully human is your destiny."

"If I may," Karma interjected, "I feel that there is more here to discuss than we could ever explain. Experience must be her teacher. Ahri." The disconsolate foxgirl looked up at Karma. "I take it you are having a difficult time understanding the good side of being a human, yes?"

"Definitely," Ahri sighed. "Things were so much simpler as a fox: if you liked a guy, you had sex with him, but when I started doing that with whatever human men I wanted people got upset... and then, of course, the essence stealing..." Ahri looked sideways awkwardly.

"Then I recommend that you open yourself up to your more positive feelings," Karma continued. "Perhaps you will be able to discover that there is more to attraction than lust."

Ahri blinked and frowned. "Like what?"

"That is for you to find out," said Karma, smiling with a hint of playfulness as she took another sip.

"Hm." Ahri thought for a while longer, and then stood up. "Thank you. All of you. You've given me a lot to think about." She walked away, her tails gently swaying with the motion of her hips.

Lee Sin sighed nostalgically, facing in the direction of Ahri's retreating behind. "What I wouldn't give to have my eyes back right now."

"Shut up, you," said Soraka, grinning into her cup.


	2. Two: The Fox Considers

[Hey, hey, people - Kaz here. I decided to release this segment of the story on its own, despite its fairly small size, because as you'll know by the end of this chapter the next one will truly be a trial to read all the way through - so I thought, why not reduce your torment by two pages and give you this part first?

[I'm currently working on the next chapter although, as always, I make no promises. Hope you enjoy. ;) - K]

* * *

Teemo sighed as yet another surrender vote failed to pass. His team's towers were falling like dry leaves before a gale, the enemy Summoners clearly had better understanding of their summoned champions, they had complete map control and it was only a matter of time before they made a move on Baron.

He was out in the bottom lane, furiously depushing. Hopefully this extra bit of gold would allow him to get the Giant's Belt Teemo so desperately needed, no matter how ridiculous he looked wearing it. (He'd tried wrapping the oversized belt around his body several times, but in the end he'd decided just to wear it diagonally over his shoulder like a bandolier.) The enemy Graves was up in the top lane with his tank and jungler, so it was probably safe to farm here.

Probably.

Teemo drew a bead on a minion, readied a dart, heard the roar, span around and saw his death. Rather than reacting with fear he merely glared at it with something akin to bitter resentment, but mostly he was just too tired of this match to care.

"Poor little thing," Ahri said afterwards, stepping out of the brush alongside a widely grinning Nidalee. "It hardly seems fair, the way this match is going."

"Fair? Fair's got nothing to do with it," said Nidalee, bracing her foot on the side of Teemo's strangely overproportioned head so she could pull her spear out of it. "You know how it goes: eat or be eaten. I'm sure if this little furball had the upper hand he'd be no different." Nidalee extracted the spear, paused, then stabbed it in again with a vicious thrust. "I _hate_ furballs."

Ahri dismissed this with a languid wave of her hand. "It's different on the Fields: no-one actually dies here, so we can play these little games as often as we want – but if we were in the real world, would you really be so careless about taking a life?"

Nidalee halted a promising new career in corpse mutilation to give Ahri an odd look. "This is very unlike you, foxie," she said, frowning. "I thought you shared my enthusiasm for the hunt: you were all about it when we first met."

"That's the problem," Ahri sighed, folding her arms under her not-inconsiderate bosom. "I'm wondering whether there might be something more."

Nidalee stared at Ahri for some time. Ahri blinked blankly at her.

"...Did those Ionians drug you?"

"I'm serious, Nidalee!" Ahri stomped her foot like a petulant child. "Living for the hunt is fine when you're an animal, but I'm changing now. A human is capable of knowing the full extent of their power and the damage they can do, and with that knowledge comes the duty to use that power responsibly!"

"You're starting to sound like those Demacian zealots," said Nidalee distastefully. "Say what you like about the Noxians, at least they understand the importance of strength: morals aren't all that good at protecting you from getting your head split open."

"We'll see about that," Ahri concluded haughtily, vanishing back into the brush.

"Wait!" Nidalee called after Ahri with an outstretched hand. "Don't you want to hear what I did last night?"

There was a pause.

A large fluffy white tail slid out of the brush and grudgingly beckoned Nidalee closer.

* * *

Ahri fumed along the corridors of the Institute of War for a good half-hour after the match had ended, corkscrewing, huffing and snarling wherever there was available space. She knew she should just go back to her chambers and relax, but Ahri was simply too outraged at Nidalee's cavalier approach to life-taking... even after the juicy details concerning last night.

After a while, Ahri made a conscious effort to calm herself down. What was it her Ionian friends would have said? 'Find peace within yourself and you shall find it all around you', or something along those lines. Ahri was just considering another visit to them when she happened across an interesting part of the Institute.

Every champion knew of the Board. Any champion who had a request that they felt only their fellow champions could answer pinned a note on the Board. There were quite a few up there today, so Ahri spent a diverting few minutes browsing through them:

_Robotic champions wanted to join the Glorious Evolution. Applicants must be at least partially mechanical, although if deemed suitably enthusiastic fully-organic scum will be provided with parts. Remember: the more metal, the better. – Viktor_

_I agree with that last part. – M.K._

Elsewhere:

_Want something (or some_one_) done discreetly and quickly? Let me know... I'll find you. – Eve_

_I sincerely hope this isn't an advertisement for contract killings, Evelynn. – Summoner Ephraim Jeebus_

_Perish the thought, Summoner. – Eve_

_P.S.: Enjoy your surprise. I will._

Somewhere else:

_All Yordle members of the League are invited to a get-together in the cafeteria on Saturday from 6PM onwards. Other races may attend if well-mannered and bearing beverages of an alcoholic nature. – Heimer_

_Tell Gragas to bring his best stuff. Me and Tristana will take good care of it, don't you worry. – Rin_

Ahri found herself slightly disappointed that there weren't any ads of a more personal nature – especially after what Nidalee had just divulged to her. She could always put up a notice of her own, of course.

Ahri's fingers paused above the box of paper slips beside the Board, hovering indecisively. What would she put on such an ad?

_Man with no great regard for his personal safety wanted for passionate and possibly deadly relationship. Extra souls a plus. – Ahri_

That was the truth of the matter, and no matter how badly Ahri wanted it she just couldn't bring herself to be dishonest. Nonetheless, Ahri felt the need to put _something_ up there: as one of the newest champions of the League Ahri felt that she had yet to make a significant splash in the champion community pool, as it were. Perhaps a meet-up of some kind? Perhaps even on the same day as the Yordle party – albeit earlier, needless to say.

Although... meeting with some of the guys might be awkward, especially considering the state Ahri was in. (Emotionally, of course. What were _you _thinking?) However, Ahri could see nothing wrong with meeting some of the girls.

Smiling at the prospect of having a good 'get to know one another' session with the other female champions of the League, Ahri picked out a piece of paper and wrote an open invitation to them.


	3. Three: The Fox Entertains

[Hello again everyone! As you may have guessed I got extremely bogged down with this chapter, all the way to the point where I just scrapped it and did a rewrite. Maybe I was just feeling gloomy at the time, but the original manuscript for this chapter was both very long and very depressing, which is NOT where I want this story to go. If my dear readers ask it of me I may still post what I originally intended as some kind of addendum, but for now I hope that this short offering proves to the world that I'm not dead just yet. More ideas are in the works, so please enjoy.]

* * *

Ahri's get-together hadn't exactly turned out as planned. She'd imagined that they'd all be able to come at once and engage in conversation together, but for one reason or another – appointments around the Institute, appointments on the Fields of Justice, impromptu appointments in the infirmary afterwards – she'd only received visitors in dribs and drabs.

Ashe made an appearance, bedecked in semi-casual finery (a Queen is never shabby), which gave Ahri cause to wonder exactly how one is to greet a royal. (She'd once 'greeted' a lesser member of the Ionian royalty, but needless to say it was under less than official circumstances.) This ended up with Ahri bowing and kissing the Queen's hand – a gesture that Lux, who entered next, seemed to find uproariously inappropriate, if her laugh was anything to go by. Well, it was probably a laugh: Ahri had never seen someone make a noise like that whilst still standing, so it was safe to assume she hadn't strained anything (save perhaps Ashe's patience). This was followed by Katarina, who stared daggers (almost literally) at the Lady of Luminosity and then left in a huff without even saying a word to Ahri. Ahri decided she was fine with this – at least, until Sona showed up and there was no-one to translate for her.

So it proceeded for most of the afternoon, with various female champions coming and going. There'd been a bit of a dispute as to whether Orianna could be considered female, and she was eventually politely turned away due to fear that Blitzcrank might try to get in on the same grounds (although Miss Fortune was willing to give it a go, just to see if they could get Blitz to wear a giant tutu). However, Ahri's next caller was undeniably feminine, all the way from her frilly skirted dress to her hairband...

"See? I've got ears just like yours!" said Annie delightedly, taking it off to show Ahri more closely.

"I take it you like animals with furry ears?" Ahri asked politely, deciding it was probably a safe question to ask a small girl who was carrying a teddybear and a backpack decorated with bunny faces. Ahri wasn't particularly comfortable around children, considering that most of her talents were uniquely suited to adults, but she did her best to maintain a bright demeanour nonetheless (her telltale tails twisted tentatively around one another).

"I LOVE naminals!" said Annie, with the enthusiasm that only a small child can muster. She practically exploded off her chair in excitement – Ahri jerked instinctively to catch her, as Annie's feet were dangling a fair distance above the floor. (Why did she have to choose the tall chair?) "Well – I love the cuddly ones. I hate fish: they don't taste good and they don't burn good."

Ahri had heard of the Dark Child's predilection for fire and putting that fire onto other things that probably don't want to have fire on them, so she artfully steered the vessel of conversation away from that blazing beacon. "And, uhm, what else do you love?"

Annie appeared to give this serious consideration. Ahri enjoyed watching the little girl's face scrunch in uffish thought.

"Do you mean, like... love-love or like-love?"

This time it was Ahri's turn to display significant levels of uff. "...I don't know. What's the difference?"

"Weeeell," Annie began in a wheedling tone, not fully looking Ahri in the eyes, "I love maninals, and I REALLY love Tibbers, but, um, what do you call it when you love something more than Tibbers?"

To answer this question, Ahri had to shift her frame of reference to encompass a world where a giant burning bear could be considered loveable. Ahri had done a lot of loving in her time, but this was a bit of a stretch. "...Well it depends," said Ahri, giving up and trying to bring the conversation back to something approaching normal. "What is it that you love more than Tibbers?"

Annie instantly turned bright red. Ahri stopped just short of a heart attack when she realised that Annie was not in fact catching fire but was instead just blushing very brightly.

"No-one!" she blurted out. "I mean, he isn't even pretty or anything, so why would I love-love him even just a little bit?"

Ahri smiled, her ears pricking with interest. "So the two of you are just friends?"

"Yeah!" Annie continued heatedly (but not too heatedly). "Ask Amumu for yourself, he'll tell you!"

Ahri waited for a few seconds, her smile unmoving. Annie glared at her as if wondering how those tails would serve as wicks when the penny dropped.

"That-! That's cheating!" Annie wailed.

"Calm yourself, girl. I promise I won't tell anyone," said Ahri kindly.

"...Really?" Annie looked up at Ahri. Skilled in the art of manipulation as she was, Ahri could recognise a mean set of puppydog eyes when she saw them.

"Really. I'm good at keeping secrets, trust me."

"Pinky swear?"

"Even better: I swear on the fuzzy ears we share that I won't tell a soul." Ahri smiled warmly.

Annie remained reluctant to talk for a few seconds. "...Can I feel your fur?"

Nodding pleasantly, Ahri moved sideways-on towards Annie and extended a tail towards her.

Annie brushed the fur with her little hands and gasped. "It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!"

"Please don't."

Annie giggled.


	4. Four: Fox at a Party

Ahri wasn't exactly certain how she'd ended up at the yordles' party. Had there been an invitation? Probably. Well, however it had happened, she was now at the aforementioned party surrounded by most of the champions who'd shown up to see her earlier (minus Annie – no minors allowed at this occasion, regardless of how cutely they pouted) and large amounts of alcohol.

She'd never been the type to flock to large concentrations of alcohol of her own volition. While it did have the wonderful effect of removing certain pesky inhibitions, Ahri preferred to keep her wits about her and her tails firmly away from innocent bystanders. They had the habit of trying to wrap around people whenever she was noticeably tipsy, something of which Ahri was highly aware and trying to stop. Making a good impression on her fellow champions probably didn't include molesting them with her tails (however fluffy they were).

"So let me get this straight," said Miss Fortune, brandishing a bottle at Ahri with a commendable lack of weaving, considering how much and for how long she'd been drinking. "You can make anyone believe that they're experiencing their deepest fantasies?"

"Their truest fantasies," Ahri corrected, her voice only slightly slurred. She paused for a moment, wondering what was out of place, and then idly batted aside a tail that was trying to curl itself around Fortune's wrist before continuing: "And not just anyone. I can divine a heart's true desire and, if it's even slightly woman-shaped, help them to see it."

"Aw, that's a shame." Fortune paused. "...I don't suppose you could turn into a giant woman-shaped bottle of rum?"

"Put enough in me and I'll give it a try," said Ahri airily, waving her empty glass at Fortune by way of a not-too-subtle hint. "I'm still far too sober by... by-!"

Ahri wrinkled her nose, drawing bemused looks from the assembled womenfolk. A second later she sneezed. Her tails shot out straight behind her like a cone of feather-dusters while her whiskers stood at right-angles to her cheeks.

They burst into laughter. As expected Lux's laugh was easily the most penetrating of the group: she'd tried going pint-for-pint with Katarina earlier in a challenge for Demacia's pride and had come off worse, although she didn't seem too down about it.

Ahri collected herself with as much dignity as she had left, put down her glass, smoothed down her whiskers and then stroked her tails to calm them down, looking like a noblewoman luxuriating in the feeling of a newly-bought fur.

"That performance will definitely earn you another drink," said Fortune as she recovered from the laughter, turning to the drinks table.

"More for me too, please!" Lux crowed, swaying unsteadily from her vantage point on top of the back of a bench.

"I don't know if that would be such a good idea, featherweight," said Katarina, grinning wickedly.

"Hey!" Lux pulled herself up as straight as she could, which meant she was only slumped halfway. "Anytime you wanna have a rematch, I'm up for it, 'Sinister Blade'!" Lux thrust out an angry finger towards Katarina, overbalanced, pulled herself back, teetered over the other way and would have fallen over had one of Ahri's tails not chosen that moment to latch on to Lux's outstretched wrist. There was a collective sigh of disappointment.

"You'd best be more careful, Luxanna Crownguard," said Ahri, smiling jovially. She was nowhere near as tanked-up as Lux, but the drink was indubitably in her system.

Lux waved her free hand in the languid dismissive gesture of drunks the world over. "Nah, I ain't a Crownguard tonight." She looked around furtively. "Don't tell Garen I said that. Big guy dressed in blue and gold. Carries a huge sword. Likes to hang out in bushes."

"Oh? Why shouldn't I tell him?"

Lux took a few seconds to consider this, mouth half-open, still being held up by Ahri. The rest of the women goggled at her in patient amusement.

"If you promise not to tell him..." Lux began slowly, "...I'll kiss you." Giggle.

There was a moment of stunned silence. Fortune, who had just arrived back with the drinks, whispered surreptitiously to Caitlyn "Just how many has she had?"

"I've lost count – but don't give her any more, for goodness' sake."

Ahri blinked, several times. "...Are you serious about this, Lux?"

"You betcha," Lux replied, with every sign of seriousness.

"Excuse me: I'm going to go gather a crowd," said Katarina as she bowed out, smirking with the knowledge of one who knows she'll be able to hold this over her rival's head for months to come.

"So, how do you want this to happen?" asked Lux, descending from her wooden throne.

"I'd rather it didn't happen," said Ahri apprehensively. "At all."

"I'm not _that_ unattractive, am I?" Lux gave a mock pout about as subtle as a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster reference.

"No, I just, uh..." Ahri's mouth and words dried up. She looked to her new friends for a saviour, but was met with a wall of predatory grins.

"Akali?" Ahri pleaded, on the basis that she might not be grinning behind that mask.

Akali shrugged. "I can't get all my kicks from the dojo."

Katarina returned with her hastily-gathered spectators, which thankfully proved to be mostly just yordles, Heimerdinger being dragged along by a strangely fuzzy-faced female. "Ladies," Katarina announced with a streak of vicious glee, "let the voyeurism commence!"

Lux homed in on her target. She was now so close that Ahri could smell the alcohol on her breath. "Is it still possible to dissuade you?" Ahri enquired weakly.

"Nope!" Lux answered, adding a drunken giggle.

Ahri closed her eyes and parted her lips slightly, deciding she may as well get it over with quickly. Their lips met...

...and parted.

"Oh, come on!"

"That was hardly anything!"

"Once more, with feeling!"

"So much for fulfilling fantasies," quipped Fortune.

Ahri frowned. This was unlike her. She wasn't used to being so passive in a kiss. She stood, tucked her hair behind her ears (the human ones), and turned on the charm.

Lux's beautiful blues opened wide, staring into Ahri's lightly glowing golden gaze. Suddenly, all Lux could think about was those plump yet subtle lips in front of her. Her eyes glazed over as though in a trance. She was dimly aware of Ahri taking hold of her waist and the back of her head.

Ahri smiled tenderly, and Lux returned the gesture. Their lips met softly, almost lovingly, Ahri dictating the terms of the kiss. Slowly, subtly, Ahri's nine tails curled around Lux, gently coiling around her, holding her closer, cradling the girl in fluffy whiteness. It was like being hugged by a cloud... with a tangible structure... and fur... and far less moisture. So, somewhat like being hugged by a cloud, but not entirely. Lux seemed to enjoy it, regardless, her eyes sliding shut. There was not only the sensation, but the scent: some undefinable spice to the air that Lux instinctively knew came from Ahri which made her want to melt into the kiss.

Ahri applied her tongue only fleetingly, tip fluttering around Lux's lips like the footfalls of a butterfly, trying to draw her out and deeper into the kiss, but Lux seemed happy to remain at this level. Ahri obliged, running her fingers through Lux's golden locks.

Ever so lightly grazing Lux's bottom lip with her teeth, Ahri gradually retreated. Lux lay almost limp in Ahri's arms and tails, her eyes still closed. A small sigh of contentment escaped Lux's parted lips. Ahri let her tails unfurl, the two women poised in a delicate tableau of intimacy. Some cherry blossoms drifting past them on a gentle wind would have completed the scene nicely, but alas some things are not to be.

Ahri stroked Lux's cheek and broke the spell.

The entire room was silent. Even Yorick's graveyard on a Monday night dropped more pins than this.

Caitlyn eyed Ahri with equal parts thoughtfulness and suspicion. "...I really feel as though I should arrest you."

"But this is what Luxanna wanted," said Ahri pleasantly.

"No!" Lux squealed, wrenching herself from Ahri's grasp with a sudden sobriety of motion. "That went too far! I'm not even interested in girls like that!" She looked around guiltily, feeling all her girl friends' eyes on her. "I mean... not that I mind if anyone is."

"The fantasy was true," Ahri explained calmly, standing straight again and untucking her hair. "I can't create desire from nothing. I work with the tools that nature gives me."

More silence, accompanied by subtle sideways glances. Lux mouthed words that failed to come, unable to convince herself that the pounding of her heart was born of surprise alone.

Katarina sighed, arms crossed. She stepped out of the crowd and put one arm around Ahri and the other around Lux. "I think you, sexy fox lady, need to learn about the rules of consent, and _you_, Little Miss Demacia, need to learn that denial isn't just a river that Nasus makes bad puns about."


End file.
